Dancing Nanski (Ashleigh's Pot-Shots)

Thank you very much Nanski, I like the coffee cup on the head. Believe it or not, that theme will pop up again one of these days.

Yesterday I mentioned Ashleigh Brilliant. If you do a search on this blog, there are some very clever envelopes where the entire address has been turned into a poem. It was his idea. He and I were both hired to perform at an event in Duh Moines, many years ago. I offered to show him around. We toured the art museum in my back yard, had lunch and then stopped at my studio. He politely asked to see me actually write with a pointed nib as he was incredulous that a person could actually write like that. So, I did. 

He has had a business since 1967, hand lettering and illustrating Pot-Shots which are pithy comments of 17 words or less. He printed and sold postcards and they were also syndicated in newspapers. I also get his newsletter and he has not run out of pithy things to say. He just sent a new batch and there are a ton of them relating to aging. He's 87 and manages to address the aging and ending with a wee bit of humor.

Link to the history of Ashleigh's business

Link to Ashleigh's website

A few from his latest batch of Pot-Shots. My favorite is No. 11

ASHLEIGH BRILLIANT – THOUGHTS AND IDEAS – AUGUST 2021

 

1.  Your task is not to get through life, but to get through the next five minutes.

 

2.  What if the world ends before I do?

 

3.  I’ve made a good start on my journey to nowhere.

 

4.  Lucky the man or woman who can be outlived by their own teeth.

 

5.  Knowledge doesn’t change anything, unless you do something with it.

 

6.  His long life was attributed to natural causes.

 

7.  Unfortunately, old age is not an injury you can sue anybody for.

 

8.  Death doesn’t need a wide-open door – it can come in through some neglected little hole.

 

9.  What’s the good of being a survivor, if everyone you survived is gone?

 

10.  It’s not that I’m lonely – it’s just that I miss having someone to ignore.

 

11.  The first thing to do is to decide what to do first.

 

12.  Idea:  a RID ATHON – a time when we all get rid of things.

 

13.  This is ridiculous – today isn’t over, but already I’m worrying about tomorrow.

 

14.  I wasn’t looking for loneliness – but somehow it found me.

 

15.  Don’t worry about getting older – It’s only for the rest of your life.

 

16.  Reality is a system which has obviously gone very wrong – but nobody knows how to fix it.

 

17.  Some of my troubles will have to go away, in order to make room for others.

 

18. Talking to yourself means talking to someone who understands and sympathizes, and is always on your side.

 

19.  It’s hard to count all my blessings, because some of them are hidden.

 

20.  Why can’t a hug be permanent?